Various embodiments of the present invention relate in general, to devices that assist a user in starting a two-cycle engine, and more particularly, to devices that automatically pull the starter rope of two-cycle engine devices.
Small internal combustion engines are commonly used to provide powered motion of a work implement. For instance, small internal combustion engines have been used to power a cutting mechanism or an auger, on tools and other equipment including chain saws, lawn mowers, tillers, edgers, string trimmers, snow blowers, powered post hole diggers, etc.
The vast majority of engines provided on such tools are adapted with a rope-pulled recoil starter. The rope-pulled recoil starter includes a rope that is wound upon a spool, which is biased by a recoil spring. To start the engine, a user of the tool performs a start operation by pulling a handle attached to the outer end of the rope. As the handle is pulled, the rope unwinds from the spool causing the spool to rotate. As the spool rotates, a clutch enables engagement of the spool with an input shaft of the engine so as to rotate the input shaft. If the input shaft is turned with an appropriate stroke, the engine cycles and starts running Upon release of the rope, the recoil mechanism retracts the rope back onto the spool. More particularly, the clutch is released from the input shaft as the spool rotates back in response to the recoil mechanism, thus allowing the engine to idle as the rope is rewound back onto the spool. If the engine failed to cycle and begin running in response to pulling the rope, the user can re-attempt the start operation by pulling the rope again. The above process may be repeated until the engine starts.